Why ICD-10 Matters

Oct 06, 2015 by admin

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It’s an exciting time of healthcare reform for the United States and a lot of that excitement revolves around the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10. If you’re asking yourself what is ICD-10 and why it is important, then you’ve come to the right place.

ICD-10 or a clinical modification of ICD-10 is the classification system currently being used by the majority of the world. The US is the only industrialized nation not using an ICD-10-based classification system.

ICD-10 matters to the coding professional because accurate code assignment is a coder’s responsibility, therefore the coder must be trained and ready to assign ICD-10 codes on the implementation date. Coding professionals must have in-depth knowledge of ICD-10, including applying the Official Coding Guidelines and Conventions.

There are two main reasons that the transition to ICD-10-CM/PCS is necessary:

Payers cannot pay claims fairly using ICD-9-CM since the classification system does not accurately reflect current technology and medical treatment. Significantly different procedures are assigned to a single ICD-9-CM procedure code. Limitations in the coding system translate directly into limitations in the diagnosis-related groups (DRG).

The healthcare industry cannot accurately measure quality of care using ICD-9-CM.
It is difficult to evaluate the outcome of new procedures and emerging health care conditions when there are not precise codes.

About AllianceMed

AllianceMed is a revenue generating service company that uses state of the art billing process rather than the medical provider. Using the Patient Protection Act we ensure that Insurance Companies are covering all benefits the patient elects to use, including their Out-of-Network benefits.

AllianceMed has an experienced team to handle all aspects of billing including claims, negotiations, and in-house legal counsel for more complex issues. Our teams are up to date on the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) regulations, laws and techniques to be constant innovators in our industry.